#WantItWednesday (30/09/15)

So I am in search of a new diary; As a firm pretend grown up I am a believer that diary's are really important. Writing your plans on something other than a post it or the back of your hand does, surprisingly help you to keep track of things. 

Panama Diary, Smythson

As it is with you for a whole year you may as well spend some money on it. The Panama Diary from Smythson is the perfect fit. It's small enough to in a pocket, or slip effortlessly into a handbag, or clutch without you being aware that you are carrying a diary around with you all the time. 

I am a particular fan of this colour too. It's fun and bright, it's a grown up piece of handbag furniture that doesn't have to make you feel old. 

I have already mentioned that I am a HUGE fan of all things stationery, and this goregeous little beauty is no exception. 

It'll make you want to plan things, just so you can show this beauty off!

Until Next Week!

#WantItWednesday (29/07/15)

So this week, I have been searching high a low for a new bag. A bag that will not only be easy to throw on while I am crushed on the tube; but to carry my lunch (because I am good and bring a packed lunch... most days), my books and everything else I normally carry in my black hole of a handbag. 

From MatchesFashion

And I've found it in this perfect cross-body bag from The Row. This is roomy and chic and looks perfect with just about any outfit, whether it's a casual Friday or a Manic Monday. I love the colour of it too. Navy is my go to colour for any chic fashionista, I would even say (possibly in hushed tones) that I prefer navy to black. It's a lot softer and warmer and goes with just as much as the ubiquitous chic shade. 

It's large enough to shove everything in and still be stylish as hell AND you can easily shove others out of the way during the rush hour madness. You'll feel fab doing it too! 

(not that you don't anyway!) 

Until Next Week!

#WantItWednesday (17/06/15)

From Bergdorf Goodman

So It's Summer, which means you need free hands for ice cream and white wine spritzers.

And do I have the perfect bag for you, this weeks #WantItWednesday. 

This crossbody bag from New York label Mansur Gavriel, is has been made for summer. The butter soft, Italian leather handbag is perfect for tucking your purse, phone and cares away and looking fabulous while doing so. 

It does come in a range of colours, but my favourite has to be this BEAUTIFUL tan. 

It goes with everything; my uniform (Oversized T-shirt, a pair of jeans), summer dresses, kaftans, everything!  

The entire collection has a vintage feel, which is wonderfully on-trend for the summer. This feels like a bag you envied in your parents youthful and care-free photographs and you cursed them for not keeping just for you.   

Well, now you can have it; but unfortunately there is a catch. You have to wait for US shipping as this is only available in New York Institution Bergdorf Goodman. So it's either waiting rather impatiently (like me) or jumping on the next available flight to JFK. I know which one I would rather!    

High Street Heroes: June

Hello June! 

The weather is FINALLY warming up and I am on the hunt for my summer wardrobe. 

I have been up and down the high street looking for the perfect components for my capsule wardrobe. I am continuing on my quest to find all thing disco-centric, and the stores on the high haven't disappointed me this month. 

#WantItWednesday (08/04/15)

From Browns

When it comes to fashion, sometimes we all take ourselves a little too seriously. Sometimes something comes around that re-enforces the fact that we just need to chill the hell out. This headband from Maison Michel is one of those accessories that brings the fun and frivolity back into fashion.

I love these cute little cat ears. How can you not? Having already established myself as a crazy cat lady (alas, without the cats as my flat is too small - so I guess that just makes me crazy... oh.)  These are the perfect witty addition to any smart and serious outfit.

These would look great with a chic Parisian pixie cut, it would look just as good with an chignon too.
To be honest I think it'll look good and add a touch of whimsy to any outfit!

#WantItWednesday (01/04/15)

From Topshop

It's getting warmer and therefore I am actively thinking about sandals, lighter dresses and thinner cardigans.

Because we all need warm thoughts right? These shoes from Topshop are the first on my list! 

Metallics make everything feel summery. Pair with an oversized cardigan and a paper-thin dress with a collar. A winning combination!
These are sandals are perfect for the Easter weekend activities like supervising egg hunts, languid bank holiday brunches and general spring merriment.

Casual Chic #12

Shirt Dress, Phillip Lim

Kimono, Black Five

Bag, Sophie Hulme

Necklace, Alex Monroe

Shoes, Charlotte Olympia

#WantItWednesday (11/02/15)

I am a lady who likes to be organised. Everything has it place and it is always in its place. I need things to be organised, mainly because in spite of my organised approach to life; I am a bit of a flake. I admit to it, I am okay with it. I tend to be late to engagements and I can get in a flap as a result.

#WantItWednesday (21/01/15)

You all know I am not a fan of the cold. I hate it and makes me want to spend as much time in the warm (AKA pub) as possible. So these boots from Church's are the perfect sartorial antidote to the cold.

Lacquer Up: Negative Nails

I have seen a lot of negative nails in the blogosphere of late.

Merricures       One Nail To Rule Them All    Nail That Accent

So I thought, for this lacquer up I would do my best, easy interpretation of a negative nail for you all to try. 

I have done a simple, diagonal negative nail on my first try as I haven't the steadiest of hands. 

In order to make sure the line is clean, I have used surgical tape to ensure a straight line.

Surgical tape is my new, best nail art friend. It's cheap and easy to use and can be cut and shaped with a pair of manicure scissors incredibly easily. Just like the manicure strips that I have written about before if you are wearing another colour underneath make sure the polish is bone dry before applying the tape. You will ruin your under polish otherwise. If you have time, put your base colour on the day before for the best results.

I applied my base coat and allowed to dry before adding the tape in the direction I wanted it to go. Once I was happy with it I applied my first layer of polish. 

I left to dry and applied another coat. Here I am using Ciaté's Mink, this needs a couple if layers for the colour to really shine through. 

This is now a discontinued colour, a similar colour that will work work their range is Cream Soda. 

Leave to dry completely. If not you'll end up with a jagged line, like one of my failed attempts 

Once dry, peel the tape of and apply a quick topcoat. I have added a couple of metal nail art hearts that I found on Amazon. I bought these to add interest to my manicure because it is a bank holiday carnival weekend and I have gone a little nail appliqué crazy since my last post; it's a simple and fun and easy addition to nails that require minimum effort. 

I completed with a more thorough layer of a high shine topcoat.

It's super easy and I will definitely persevere with it. I like how modern this looks, this can be formalised for a job interview; the colour above works well for that (above sans appliqué hearts obviously) or you could make it fun by slicking on a neon colour like Model's Own Toxic Apple. All winners in my opinion.

Go on, bag yourself some surgical tape and get negative!

#WantItWednesday (13/08/14)

The weather can't make up it's mind today and neither can I. Do I wear a jumper & tights? Do I opt for the Summer Dress & flip flops? It's all too hard, so I am throwing a strop and am going to talk about jewellery instead this week. 

This wonderful piece of neck candy from Zara is perfect for weather that can't make up it's mind. This would look equally stunning with a loose, oversized T-shirt, denim shorts and ballet pumps or flip flops as it would with a chunky cable knit and a pair of brogues.

This necklace is also incredibly intricate, I am completely in love with the bright stones that you can co-ordinate with or clash violently; either way you would still look as chic as ever.  

Zara have a wonderful grasp of the junk jewellery trend that I am incredibly fond of. Many of their pieces work well as a casual item as well as a dramatic formal piece of neck art. This practicality also helps me buy five at a time because they go with everything and they are really reasonable. So go ahead. Buy something shiny, it will cheer you up and will look amazing once the weather decides to make its mind up! 

#WantItWednesday (06/08/14)

I love things in miniature and I LOVE things in rose gold. It's a warming hue that can be worn day and night and it's a precious metal that suits everyone. 

This week, following on from last week's rose gold perfection I have gone all out on my love for all things rose gold and iminiaturised and I have collated a plethora of mini rose gold trinkets that need to be in my possession RIGHT NOW!

Mini Studs are possibly my favourite ear accessory of the moment. I have an odd number of piercings to play with due to a demure little tunnel I had stretched during my wild days at university (I still love it and it's a fantastic conversation starter) and small earrings make this look unassuming and feminine if I want to draw attention away from it. 

These gorgeous little stars (figuratively & literally) from Phoebe Coleman are perfect for everyday wear. They are delicate, feminine and perfect; I would keep these in during the day for work and they would not look out of place on a night out if you wanted to draw attention to another pieced of eye catching jewellery you wanted to wear instead. I love them. These are sold exclusively at My Wardrobe and can be found here. 

Get them before I do!

Another pair I am more than obsessed with are these beautiful bud studs from another British mainstay, Alex Monroe. The detail is evident right away. These are the epitome of dainty, right down the minuscule diamond in its centre. I want to squeal a little every time I see them. They are just gorgeous. These also mix well with other studs and I think would be an excellent partner to the stars above. You can't go wrong with these!

 You can get these direct from the website here

If you are a person who likes to mix dainty with a bit of edge, these sugar skull inspired studs from Links are Perfect for you. 

These are delicate with a hard edge, perfect if you want to mix your roses or stars with something a little sturdier. 

I would want to wear this with lots of black and minimal, almost invisible jewels to really allow these to shine. 

Again the detail in them is exemplary and I want to wear them all the time.

Get them here.

All of these, I think can be worn together, however the beauty of rose gold is that is suits all other precious metals beautifully. 

Wear any of these with a pair of silver or yellow gold studs and you will look just as chic if you went rose gold crazy!

I'm definitely going rose gold crazy. I am going to pair my dainty studs in various styles with these, super cheap, super awesome rose gold tunnels. I can think of nothing better!

Lacquer up: Jewels

It's no secret that I love a good nail polish. I have already spoken about my weekly manicure ritual. I have experimented on a grand scale; having utilised a gem and nail polish set I got from work. If you aren't sure if jewels are your thing and you don't want to splash out on a roundel of jewels; I cheated. The set I am using (below) is from a nail art set from Top of The Pops Magazine. (Yes, it still exists!) You can get the set I bought here. It has a comprehensive selection of gems, for you to try for the price of a chocolate bar! WIN!

After this week's manicure, I am pretty confident that not only do I like gems, I think their application is super easy and will get a few more expensive sets, for sure! 

I've used Rimmel I heart Lasting Finish in "It's a scorcher". It's
perfect for this wonderfully warm weather and the green round gem I chose makes it extra special and summery!

Paint your nails as normal.

For my base-coat I have found a new cosmetic brand Kiko Milano. Their 3-in-1 Shine is a base coat, nail hardener and Ultra Shine Top coat all in one, which is super useful. It dries really quickly and produces an amazing shine. They have an extensive range of nail care products. All are reasonably priced. Perfect for those who manicure at least once a week!



To apply the Gem get a cotton bud and dip into the gem pot. Gently push the gem into the still wet nail polish and allow to dry.

Once dry; add a top coat to retain the gem and the shine & viola!

You can add gems to every nail or use them as an accent nail as I have done. 

Who knows. I could be as good as these in no time! 

      Wah Nails                                   Sophy Robson                             Wah Nails

#WantItWednesday (04/06/14)

How can anyone not love this quintessential British jewellery brand, Alex Monroe? 

A mainstay on the British jewellery scene, Monroe is often on the necks, wrists and lips of the fashion's retail elite and with good reason.

It's SUPER cute, incredibly intricate and I want it all. 

What I love most about Alex Monroe's ever evolving collections are that they are crazily intricate and wonderfully British, having been made in the very same studio he acquired more than 20 years ago. 

(L-R, Teeny Tiny Pea Pod Necklace, Strawberry & Diamond Flower Necklace, Honeybee and Sapphire Necklace

Just remember, these are on tiny pendants!!

The detail is insane.

Pendants that are wonderfully petite and delicate. I'm not one for delicacy (as I've already mentioned) but these can be layered, layered and layered again; allowing you to can spell out your quintessential British personality around your neck, without feeling or looking like  

Mr. T. 

Go on, treat yourself to a Pea Pod Pendant, a Bunch of Keys or even a Bundle of Asparagus! (Maybe, all three) 

#WantItWednesday (28/05/14)

I do love a good pouch. Anything that means I can hold my flats, lipstick, make-up and the myriad of other bits of crap I keep about my person at all times, while completing my outfit is certainly a winner with me. 

This rose gold/Bronze piece of art from Jil Sander however is on another level. 

I'm already a huge fan of a rose-hued metallic and this is no exception. 

This is so versatile and large, you can wear it comfortably with almost anything. I prefer a single colour, from head to foot to maximise the impact of this absolute gem of an accessory. Have a look at my suggestions below:

Details of all looks can be found here

Rose gold is the future, if you don't want to feel like a member of the herd with rose gold earrings and/or mid-sized rings, this is a wonderful, chic alternative that will keep you ahead of the curve! 

Get this beauty here

#WantItWednesday (14/05/14)

I love shoes. I don’t talk about it often enough, but I am obsessed with shoes; crazy obsessed with shoes.

I often talk about (moan about) not having the coveted shoe wall (an idea my mother has run with - it puts my old collection in the shade) that I had in my old flat, and have to make do with secreting new pairs into my house and stuffing them under the bed, not in pride of place as I used to 

(or had become accustomed to). 

I am starting to reclaim the space and as a result, I am of course, buying more shoes. 

I have mentioned my obsession with Jeffrey Campbell on many occasions; known for (amongst other things) the Lita (I still wear mine ALL the time) and the Ex-Factor. The new Boehme is a step away from the heavy, grungy look the label has become known for. 

This style of shoe, in its many variations is EVERYWHERE at the moment however, this studded style is by far my favourite. 

It adds an edge that such a delicate shoe needs (As you’ve probably guessed, I am not a fan of delicate things) and as every shoe lover knows, it holds a special power non-shoe lovers just don’t understand. It is crazy versatile!  

You can (if you are so inclined) make this the crown (for your feet) of a rather ethereal, delicate look or you can feminise a powerful androgynous ‘nomcore’-ish look.  

When you think of Jeffrey Campbell, you often think flannel and leather shorts. It's definitely time to rethink. There is certainly more to this label than. 

I am all for finding more excuses to buy!  

Get the details on all looks here

#WantItWednesday (07/05/14)

I love the power of a good necklace. 

It can transform an otherwise safe t shirt and jeans combo into something unusual  and edgy. Rather than going to the shops for milk, you're going somewhere cool for drinks or for a casual date. 

E K Throngprasert does this best. The mix of silicon and jewels is a winning combination. 

The bright colours and intricate designs are worn best with a paired down silhouette, Single colours work best, allowing the pieces to shine. I think all grey works fabulously with the entirety of the collection. 

My favourite of the latest collection is this intricate wonderfully lustrous confection in purple. 

This is worn best with Navy and White. I want it all!! 

Details of all looks can be found here

#WantItWednesday (23/04/14)

Easter is over, summer is nearing and I am excited to shake off my jacket and start wearing lighter clothes, just like everyone else

This shirt will become an essential for the summer and possibly forever, not just because it's loose, gorgeous and endlessly versatile. It goes with anything. Fancy pairing a kimono jacket with jeans and plimsolls it's perfect for that.

If you want to be a little dramatic with a pair of heels and statement jewellery?

Peachy for that too!

If you fancy being a little bohemian(if you're so inclined), it will look great with a pair of harem pants.

It simply goes with everything, and then some. You can get this shirt you'll wish you already had here.

I am already a massive fan of Elizabeth & James; not just because I'm more than a little obsessed with it's creators, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. The personify a style that is often attempted, never perfected. Casual Chic at it's utter finest. The label understands a sartorial need before you've even thought of it is typical of the label, Elizabeth & James. Easy, effortlessly chic and evokes luxury in a wonderfully subtle fashion. 

I would love to put all of Elizabeth & James on my #WantItWednesday list, but I will refrain (for now) and give you my top three in addition to the piece of confection above:

Clockwise (L-R) -Vivi Top, Shadia Dress, Eyre Bracelet

Have a look and you'll fall in love, if you haven't already! 

(FYI - all collages can be found here)

#WantItWednesday (09/04/14)

I am a spectacle wearer. 

It is not an admission of guilt; I am a PROUD member of the "four eyes" club.

I am often guilty of calling out the secret contact lens wearers

and those who pretend to have less than 20/20 vision.

(yes, you lens-less wonder)

Glasses are not only practical, (and in my case essential, I am as blind as a bat) they are beautiful and help accentuate and frame (see what I did there) simple eye make up; whether it's with a simple winged eye, or a bronzed lid. 

My stance on the on the whole spectacle debate that there are too many beautiful and sartorially appropriate bits of face furniture out there; you would be crazy to not to get hundreds of pairs.

These are going to be my latest acquisition for #WantItWednesday. The Oliver Peoples Sir Finlay. Oliver Peoples is by no means a new phenomenon. They have been in the spectacle making game for over twenty years. It all started with an estate collection of vintage specs sold under the name of "Oliver Peoples". The legend was born and has continued to grown ever since. 

These wonderful pieces of face art (because glasses are 'art') are worn from everyone from Jake Gyllenhaal to Rosie Huntington Whiteley and it is easy to understand why. 

These are classic in style and make you look far more cultured may actually be.The classic light tortoise shell is an instant winner for Spring/Summer and from day to night so it would be ludicrous not to wear them from morning to night. 

I am graduating from the omnipresent Club Master and these Paul Frank Beauties. 

I cannot wait to get these on my face!

#WantItWednesday (02/04/2014)

Hello April!!

Spring is finally here and I for one am incredibly excited! The weather makes me want to frolic outside for extended periods and have picnics in every park in London at every given opportunity.

This unnatural need to frolic, requires comfortable footwear and you should look no further than these incredible versatile kicks from Superga.

The Italian footwear company is a staple in their native Turin and have been one of Italy's best kept secrets ever since (The don't call it 'The People's Shoe of Italy' without warrant!)

Worn with Skinny jeans and a loose shirt, or a fabulous floaty sun dress these are the perfect kicks to kickback in.

These are the grown up, chic alternative to the ubiquitous converse, which you of course already own and love and are the fashinonista's plimsolls of choice; worn by the likes of Alexa Chung, Suki Waterhouse (who has collaborated with the brand on a fabulous collection) & The Olsen Twins; these amazing plimsolls are perfect for everything.

I normally pair mine with a pair of skinny jeans and a loose shirt and this forms part of my weekly work uniform (Have a look on my thoughts on uniforms here).They are INCREDIBLY comfortable and are available in a plethora of amazing colours, fabrics, skins and heights.

Quirk them up with a pair of fun, colourful socks with jeans or go bare legged with a jersey midi dress or skirt with a casual jumper. I personally cannot get enough of these plimsolls and will wear and love them just as much as I did when I first slipped on my favourite pair of light pink Converse aged 14. Get ready, you've just found a new trainer love.

Have a look at how I would style looks based around these beauties below:

                       Jacket, Malene Birger Fiurica                                                     Jacket, Marni
                            Cropped Shirt, Kimem                                                      Dress, Balenciaga
                                    Jeans, Hudson
                             Necklace, Devon Leigh